Folding theater-chair.



No. 738,341. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903..

0. MARKIEWIGZ.

FOLDING THEATER CHAIR.

- APPLIUATIOI FILED IAB. 20. 1 902.

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UNITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903.

OTTO MARKIEWIOZ, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

FOLDING TH EATER-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,341, dated September 8, 1903.

Application filed March 20, 1902. Serial No. 99,209. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO MARKIEWICZ, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Theater-Chairs, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to folding theaterchairs adapted when folded to permit a free passage of people both in a transverse and a longitudinal direction.

The chairs'hitherto used do not permit a fast emptying of the auditorium, the public being able only to leave the seats in a transverse direction, which might prove very serious in the event of a fire. To remove these inconveniences is the object of this invention, which enables not only the seats of the chairs but also their backs to be folded in such a manner as to make possible a free communication between the difierent rows of chairs.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents by a perspective View the chair ready to be used. Fig. 2 shows the same folded. Fig. 3 is a ground plan view. Fig. 4 is a side View of the back with the seat. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a theater-room fitted out with chairs according to this invention.

As will be seen in the drawings, the auditorium is provided with side frames a, placed in rows and parallel to each other, each of which serves for attachment of the seat I) and the back 0, and when put down each frame a is adapted to support the seat of the next chair. Thus the chair consists of one side frame a, to which both the back 0 and the seat 17 are attached. With this arrangement the middle and side passages or aisles for the public hitherto generally used might be dispensed with. The back cis attached to the seat I) in such manner that the latter can be folded toward the back. The side frames at are, however, firmly fixed to the floor and provided with supports d, serving to support the seats when put down. The seat I) being folded upward toward theback c is pressed against and engaged by a spring 8 to prevent it from accidentally dropping, said spring 6 also serving as a rest for the back when the chair is ready for use.

The seat being folded toward the back, the latter is free from connection with the next side frame a and is now folded together with the seat toward the side frame to which the back is hinged. The

back 0 is folded or turned automatically with.

obstacle toward the stage as well as toward the back and side exits. When it is desired to use the chair,.it is only necessary to remove the back 0 from the position seen in Fig. 2 into the position seen in Fig. 1, the spring e serving to hold the back in the latter position, and then the seat is swung downward.

,What I claim is- 1. A folding theater-chair comprising adjacently-arranged side frames, a back-piece hinged at one of its lateral edges to one of the side frames and adapted to swing in a horizontal plane so as to occupy a position in close proximity to and substantially parallel with the side frame to which it is hinged whereby to leave a free passage for the occupant between the side frames, and a seat hinged at its rear edge to the lower edge of the back-piece and adapted to be swung upwardly so as to lie against the back-piece before the latter is swung on its hinge, said seat being adapted to occupy a position between the back-piece and the standard to which the same is hinged after said back-piece has been swung to one side to clear the space between the side frames.

2. A folding theater-chair comprising adjacentlyarranged side frames, a backpiece hinged at one of its lateral edges to one of the side frames and adapted to swing in a horizontal plane so as to occupy a position in close proximity to and substantially parallel with the side frame to which it is hinged whereby to'leave a free passage for the occupant between the side frames, and a seat hinged at its rear edge to the lower edge of the back piece and adapted to be swung upwardly so as to lie against the back-piece before the latter is swung on its hinge, said seat being adapted to occupy a position between the back-piece and the standard to which the same is hinged after said back-piece has been swung to one side to clear the space between the side frames, and supports carried by the side frames for supporting the seat and back at their free edges when the chair is to be occupied.

3. A folding theater-chair comprising adjacently-arranged side frames, a back-piece hinged at one of its lateral edges to one of the side frames and adapted to swing in a horizontal plane so as to occupy a position in close proximity to and substantially parallel with the side frame to which it is hinged whereby to leave a free passage for the occu pant between the side frames, and a seat hinged at its rear edge to the lower edge of the backpiece and adapted to be swung upwardly so as to lie against the back-piece before the latter is swung on its hinge, said seat being adapted to occupy a position between the back-piece and the standard to which the same is hinged after said back-piece has been swung to one side to clear the space between the side frames, and a spring carried by one the seat when the latter is being swung up wardly toward the back-piece, said spring being adapted to form a rest for the back when the seat is ready for use.

4. A folding theater-chair comprising adja cently-arranged side frames, a back-piece hinged at one of its lateral edges to one of the side frames and adapted to swing in a horizontal plane so as to occupy a position in close proximity to and substantially parallel with the side frame to which it is hinged whereby to leave a free passage for the occupant between the side frames, and a seat hinged at its rear edge to the lower edge of the backpiece and adapted to be swung upwardly so as to lie against the back-piece before the latter is swung on its hinge, said seat being adapted to occupy a position between the backpiece and the standard to which the same is hinged after said back-piecehas been swung to one side to clear the space between the side frames, and a spring arranged to au- 

